02/08/2026
By Talay Masethien
๐จโ ๏ธ WARNING โ PLEASE READ BEFORE BOOKING! โ ๏ธ๐จ (KOKODA FOOTSTEPS TOUR) MR.Philip Laba๐
โ Our experience with Philip Laba (owner of Kokoda Trekking and Track Operating)
(KOKODA FOOTSTEPS)
We booked and fully paid for a 2.5-day tour in Goroka (20โ23 June 2026) for USD 1,160 + 1,000 PGK. ๐ธ
However, Philip Laba only transferred 1,000 PGK to the local guide in Goroka, which covered only a half-day tour and one nightโs hotel accommodation. The rest of the tour that we had already paid for was never provided. โ
When we demanded a refund, Philip Laba promised to meet us at our hotel in Port Moresby and return our USD 1,160 in cash. He never showed up. ๐ซ
Instead, he threatened to have us arrested at the airport. Despite his threats, we reported the incident to the police and filed an official police report at Boroko Police Station, Port Moresby. ๐ฎ๐
After returning home, we repeatedly asked him to refund our money by bank transfer, but he has completely ignored all of our messages. ๐ต
๐จ Even worse, this page is using our photos and falsely claiming that our tour was successfully completed. This is completely false. โ๐ธ
๐ We have all the evidence:
โ
Bank transfer receipt for USD 1,160
โ
Chat history with Philip Laba
โ
Official police report filed at Boroko Police Station, Port Moresby
๐ต๐ฌ Tomorrow, we will also visit the Papua New Guinea Consulate in Bangkok to report this matter.
โ ๏ธ Please be careful before booking with this operator. We are sharing our experience so that other travelers can make an informed decision and avoid experiencing the same situation.
Australian High Commission Papua New Guinea
Australian Government
The Australian
Police - NCD/Central Divisional Command, can you guys help this line tourist?